Informatica PowerCenter

Data-centric applications focus primarily on data storage and management (like Time Card apps for tracking hours and Inventory management for stock data), while process-centric applications focus on business processes and workflows (like Online Auction Management which handles the bidding process). Word Processor is neither - it's a document creation tool, not characterized by data storage or business process management.

Informatica's recommended naming convention for mapplets is 'mplt_MappingName'. The 'mplt' prefix identifies it as a mapplet (distinct from mappings which use 'm_'), followed by an underscore, then the descriptive name. This convention provides clarity and consistency in repository management. Option A uses full 'mapplet', option B uses 'map' (for mappings), and option C lacks the underscore separator.

A mapplet's active/passive nature depends on the transformations it contains. If all transformations are passive (like Expression, Filter), the mapplet is passive. If it contains any active transformation (like Aggregator, Rank, Sorter), the mapplet becomes active because it can change the number of rows passing through it. This is context-dependent, not an inherent property.

In Informatica Filter transformation, the filter condition is evaluated for each row. A non-zero return value (including negative numbers) is treated as TRUE, allowing the row to pass through. A zero return is treated as FALSE, filtering the row out.

Filter transformation in Informatica is an Active transformation that passes data through based on a condition. It has Input ports (data enters) and Output ports (filtered data exits). Data flows from input to output ports.

By default, rows that fail the Filter condition are discarded and NOT written to any file. They are simply dropped from the data flow. To capture discarded rows, you must explicitly configure other mechanisms.

Sequence Generator transformation in Informatica only has Output ports (NEXTVAL and CURRVAL). It generates sequence values but does not accept input data or have input/output ports.

In Informatica PowerCenter version 8.x, the default cache size for Sorter transformation is 16,000,000 bytes (16 MB). This memory is used for sorting data rows.

XML Source Qualifier transformation is a PASSIVE transformation - it does not change the number of rows passing through it. In contrast, Source Qualifier, Application Source Qualifier, and Normalizer are ACTIVE transformations that can alter row counts.

Lookup transformation is a PASSIVE transformation in Informatica. It performs lookups and returns values but does not change the number of rows passing through it. It can return multiple ports but maintains row count.

In Informatica PowerCenter, Integration Service is the runtime engine that moves data from source to target systems. Repository Service manages metadata, Application Services handle application-specific tasks, and Metadata Services provide metadata access.

Each repository in Informatica requires exactly one Repository Service to manage it. Multiple repositories would each need their own Repository Service, but a single repository is managed by one service instance.

Router transformation can route data based on multiple conditions and allows rows that don't meet any condition to pass through a default group. Filter transformation only tests one condition and has no default pass-through for failed rows.

The Joiner transformation in Informatica uses Inner Join as the default join type. This means only matching rows from both sources are included in the output. Other join types (Master, Detail, Full Outer) must be explicitly specified.

In Informatica Mapping Designer, transformations have three types of ports: Input ports (data enters), Variable ports (for intermediate calculations/storage), and Output ports (data exits). This allows for complex data transformation logic within a transformation.

Lookup transformations in Informatica have three types: Connected (part of the data flow pipeline), Unconnected (called via expression), and Passive (doesn't change row count). The distinction 'Passive' vs 'Active' is fundamental - Active transformations change row count, Passive ones don't.

In Informatica PowerCenter, a Node represents the logical representation of a machine (server), while a Domain is a collection of such nodes managed together. This is the correct architectural relationship. Grid is a different concept related to load balancing.

Folder creation and administration in PowerCenter requires Repository Manager (for repository-level folder management) and Administrator Console (for administrative tasks). Workflow Manager/Workflow Monitor are for workflow execution and monitoring, not folder administration.

Worklets can be nested within other worklets (hierarchical workflow organization), but Mapplets cannot be nested within other mapplets. Both are reusable, both encapsulate functionality, but only worklets support nesting. This is the key distinguishing feature.